Rate & Review: "Today, I Am A Clown" (FABF01)

[Cole]

From SNPP (http://snpp.com/upcoming.shtml)
Jackie Mason guest voices as Rabbi Krustofski when Krusty gets ready for the bar Mitzvah he never had, with Homer guest hosting "The Krusty the Clown Show" while Krusty is gone

As usual, the thread and poll will open once the episode has aired.

[SpongeBob No Pants]

5/5


This episode was the best of the season so far

I liked:

Lisa reading from "Simpsons - a complete guide to our favorite family" (best joke of the show)
Finally a board gag!
Best couch gag this season
Homer and santa's little helper's night out
maggie in the bathroom
itchy and scratchy
homer's round table show
lenny being fired, then barney
krusty and the network exec crying and hugging
"i eat legos"
Homer saving lincoln
Moe and his calculator words - BOOBS!
Sign warning: "first 2 rows may get converted"

and there was so much more, i loved every second

i'm gonna watch it again and take it all in a gain to see other stuff i layghed at



oh yeah, was that really Mr. T?

[America: Fuck Yea!]

This one was up and down. A few failed gags...

I like the Meta reference with the book. nice to see that they have a sense of humor and can poke fun at themselves (the writers). Did anyone notice the product placement (Slim Fast). I didn't like the WolfCastle anti-semmit (sp?) joke. I felt it deminished his character and they could have put some random German/Austrian accented guy, and it would have been more funny. The Krusty cocaine joke was good. I the Grammys/Emmy unite was a nice jab. and I had a slight chuckle at the rules/Stripclub joke..

I thought it ended abruptly but it maintained my attention.

3/5

[Mr.Bunny]

Originally posted by SpongeBob No Pants
oh yeah, was that really Mr. T?
Yes it was.

[Andy]

This one was... extremely sillyzany for my tastes. Seeing Lisa refer to a COMPLETE GUIDE pretty much ruined it for me. And we really didn't know what was the main point of the episode, because they seemed to shift the focus way too much on Homer at some points.

Otherwise, Jackie Mason was wasted, and Mr. T-- meh. Just didn't care for this one, but good try at least.

[Moose of Doom!]

4/5

It was really good, but my only problem was they focused on Homer a little too much.

[thugie]

My funny must be broken.

2/5

[gravymaster]

A "meh" episode. Had some funny parts, but I really didn't find myself laughing until the 3rd act. 3/5

[Cole]

5/5. The best episode of Season 15 thus far. It had some great gags and a plot that flowed smoothly. Nice pacing throughout with good use of guess stars (Mr. T still make me laugh and Jackie Mason's Rabbi was terrific once more). The only joke that really bothered me was Lisa reading the "The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Family" book. I hate references like that. Other than that, a terrific episode. It rivals the quality of "Moe Baby Blues," in my opinion.

Judging by the few reviews I see so far, I could be in the minority.

[robb]

Good ep, 4/5

Is it just me or did the animation on Patty and Selma look...off?

[kevin]

Enjoyed it. But I found this episode to be nothing special overall. Homer's talkshow did get stupid after a while, though, and I think they spent too much time focusing him rather than Krusty. Loved Lisa and her Complete Guide and also Homer and Lincoln beating the crap out of Lee Harvey Oswald. It had plenty of laughs and certainly was better than the Regina Monolouges and Fat and the Furriest. This makes the season around 4 out of six on the year.

Treehouse of Horror XIV- B
My Mother the Carjacker- B+
The President Wore Pearls- A-
The Regina Monolouges- D-
The Fat and the Furriest- C-
Today, I Am A Clown- B+

[Body Massage]

it was, meh. there were some funny jokes. that 'i pity the fool who didn't bring an envelope to this bar mitzvah' was a terrible, terrible joke and really bad way to end the episode.

[Eddie]

Well, instead of an interesting character study between Krusty and his father, we got some wild tangent about Homer and his own TV show with a bad use of guest stars. But most of the gags were great, the supporting characters were used decently, and the meta-refs weren't too bad. This season is not shaping up well. 6/10, C+

[magus7000]

this is a really confusing review for me. i think ill get a better feel for the ep in a couple months. but the first act with three seperate storylines was terrible. they shouldnt have done the dog thing, 1. because we already have an episode about the exact same thing. 2. because it adds another element to the storyline that isnt needed. and 3. because they didnt refer back to it in the end which makes it utterly pointless. i thought it was ok how the dog led Krusty back to his old town, but they either shoulda had the dogs or maggie situation, not both. that is my main flaw with the episode.

i think the parallel storylines with Krusty and Homer would have been great if the would have established both a lot more. krustys story should have gotten much more air time, but i think the Homer part could have worked a lot better than it did.

overall the episode made me laugh and i thought it could have been interesting. ill figure it out on my next viewing.

so far, 6.5/10

[NoOneFamous]

Well lets see...

It was pretty damn funny, so I'll start off with a 5/5
- However, there was your usual share of missed jokes (minus half a point)
- And quite a few pointlessly crude, unfunny "shock humor" jokes, and annoying "weird" Marge (minus another half a point)
- The plot was too fast paced, kind of all over the place, too "outrageous" (Homer becoming famous AGAIN), and there was no real point to anything. (minus 1 point)

So, all in all, it was about a 3/5. Funny, but pretty forgettable episode. This seems to be the "standard" episode style for season 15 - lots of great jokes with an average, but not god-awful plot.

[Crotis Jivefunk]

Not bad, much better than last week's episode. Al Jean does a good job with returning characters. It was also nice to see Itchy and Scratchy once again, nothing was over the top. The only joke I didn't like was the pig's head on the sandwich. Mousletov! 5/5

[pat]

"Today, I Am A Clown" was a vast improvement over last week's episode, which I found to be shit. The couch gag was good, as usual; one of the best of the season. The first part with the puppies was irrelevant I thought, but it did later tie in with Krusty going back to his Jewish neighborhood, so I won't complain much about that. I liked all the street vendors, especially the one selling DSL internet, that was a funny gag. There were other great gags in this episode as well, i.e. Homer's dream sequence with him saving Lincoln and the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon. I also got a kick out of the writers poking fun at the Fox Reality shows.

I thought Mr. T could have been done without though, although I like the guy, there wasn't any need for him, but he was good in the episode so I guess that should count for something. The good easily outweighed the bad, as there weren't many bad moments. I was hoping the Rabbi would be used more in the episode than he actually was. Overall, funny gags, few complaints, and a solid 9/10 or 4/5.

[used]

Originally posted by ComixFan
Well, instead of an interesting character study between Krusty and his father, we got some wild tangent about Homer and his own TV show with a bad use of guest stars. But most of the gags were great, the supporting characters were used decently, and the meta-refs weren't too bad. This season is not shaping up well. 6/10, C+

What did you expect. We arent going to get quality character study type episodes anymore, really. This episode wss great. It was funny, not stupid or forced, and it had great use of guest stars. I dont understand how some people are continually bashing this season, when we havent got anything near this quality for seven years.. enjoy it


(this isnt only directed to you comixfan, it was just your post that set me off)

ps.. Ill do my review later.

[brancely]

Oh man, that was QUITE the amusing episode. It was rather disjointed and strayed from the point a couple of times, but most of the gags were spot-on and hilarious, and the guest stars didn't suck! I liked it: 4/5 because at times I got confused at to where they were trying to go with the story.

EDIT: I forgot: I thought that the "tangent" with Homer's show was actually the better of the two storylines. It was really funny, and it was more compelling than Krusty's predicament. I felt like they could have made this into two different episodes, because I would have rather the focus been mainly on Krusty's Bar Mitzvah. By the way, the failed gags were Lisa's complete guide and Rainier Wolfcastle's line... gosh. And the parts with Homer's dream sequences were, I think, the funniest Homer moments all season.

Great improvement over last weeks episode! 4/5

[Tomacco]

That was a surefire 4/5.
It felt like an oldie because it handled the double-plot formula very very well. For a plot that was introduced in the second act, Homer's was given plenty of time, with Krusty's story still having room to breathe. Both storylines end very well. Homer's show ends and Simpson life goes back to normal. And Krusty's show, having beaten out Homer's newly reformatted show, is back into popularity. And of course, Krusty gets his Bar Mitzvah done with. I was glad to see they didn't actually try to pull off the ceremony in the wacky show Krusty was broadcasting on TV. I would have liked to see more Rabbi Krustofsky, but that's a personal expectation that I had for no real reason, so I won't hold it against the episode for having so little of him. I mean, it was never their intent to heavily feature him.

Biggest downside of the episode: The introduction involving the puppies was receycling, and provided only a couple laughs. Lisa reading from the Complete Guide will never be funny again in reruns, that is if you found it funny now. So that bit was worthless meta-fare ultimately. The rest was just fine, including plenty of secondary character use (including a great episode-themed Itchy & Scratchy). Second downside: Mr. T. Not only are Mr. T jokes just tired in general, but The Simpsons have done more than enough "pity the fool" jokes to fill a warehouse. So, I barely even smirked at his bits.

All in all though, a well-paced, enjoyable, well-rounded episode. Definitely my fave Joel Cohen episode ever.
4/5

PS: Let me add that the Homer and Lincoln imagination sequences were hilarious. HILARIOUS.

[Wavy Gravy]

Mazel tov! ANOTHER winner from Season 15! A very funny opening scene (return of the chalkboard gag! YES!) and I was rolling when Lisa looked up 2F18 in ACGTOFF. I've gotta watch this one again to get all the background signs in the Jewish partof Springfield. Krusty was handled very well in this episode, which was a good idea to begin with, and though I STILL haven't seen 8F05 "Like Father, Like Clown", Rabbi Krustofski still worked for me. The subplot also went well, with some nice lines from Lenny, Carl, Ralph, and Wiggum (along with some hilarious TV industry satire and jabs at FOX). Both of Krusty's bar mitzvah's were great, and I didn't mind Mr. T as much as I'd expected (he actually had some pretty good bits). Altogether, a hilarious Krusty episode with some nice religious humor and social satire. That's six winners in a row this season (up your face, Flaming Homer 89)!

4/5 (will undoubtedly go up once I see 8F05)

[Icedragon]

4/5

Best ep this season.

The Pros:

Lisa using "The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Family" to remember past events.

Usage of guest stars, until the end.

Pacing was just right.

The Vendor with the DSL for sale.

The Cons:

Too much Homer.

Not enough Krusty (This goes w/o saying).

The Anti-Semite joke(worst joke of the ep)

Moe's "Boobs"

The last line was not a good ending line.

Unsure

Rachel Cohen, I missed the intent of that. Was that a plug of one of the writer's relatives?

Someone said this would be like MMTC, and I agree. It did not live up to LFLC, but it was good none the less.

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by ComixFan
Well, instead of an interesting character study between Krusty and his father, we got some wild tangent about Homer and his own TV show with a bad use of guest stars. But most of the gags were great, the supporting characters were used decently, and the meta-refs weren't too bad. This season is not shaping up well. 6/10, C+

Further proof that excessive speculation and prediction ruins the episodes for people. Again, nobody ever said the writers intended to make this a Krusty and Father episode. Everyone just read into it toooooo much.

[blueguy]

I liked it. There wasn't a whole lot of laugh out loud jokes outside the encyclopedia joke and Ichy and Scratchy, but it did have a steady srtream of workable jokes and not many that failed. Although the ending seemed rushed yet again. 4/5

[Tibor]

Extremely underdeveloped. The one thing that could have made this episode really interesting, the interaction between Krusty and his father, was nowhere to be found. I think Jackie had around three or four lines. The one device that could have made the plot engaging (Krusty goofs off and refuses to take anything seriously, disappointing his father) was basically a throwaway. Krusty's whole plot wasn't developed enough to be interesting or take seriously. Can't really empathize with him when he just wants to have his Bar Mitzah so he can get on the Jewish walk of fame. Any time the episode tried to reach for dramatic involvement pretty much flopped. Homer taking over the TV show had some nice moments and the wrap-up to it was very funny (I wish they didn't play that sad music and try to evoke some kind of reaction though), and it would have been a nice complement to a more involved main plot.

Pacing didn't make things any more interesting, either. The first act 'on ramp' was interesting conceptually, but there's no reason to point it out when you rehash an old plot device. Just do it, if you're going to, having Lisa pull out the complete guide or CBG point it out isn't clever. The rehash wasn't even a big deal really. And Homer taking SLH's wang out on the town fell flat as well. After this kind of rambly first act (which doesn't bother me so much) we have a dry meandering rest of the episode until the only thing that could be described as a conflict was wrapped up in twenty seconds. It seems as if the episode was padded a lot, they even had the full length opening, which is ridiculous since there was such an excellent idea to develop (and we know they're capable) RIGHT THERE.

Some inspired but still uneven humor (Homer's Lincoln daydream is an instant classic) are really all that held up the thin plot which had no excuse for being thin. B-

[Necromancer]

3/5, and I'm being generous. The whole crazy televized barmitzvah thing didn't work. There were a few good jokes, but they were mostly countered by equally bad jokes.

[FooR]

I loved it. Some great gags and it flowed nicely. Best episode of the season IMO. 4.5/5

[Charmy]

Not what I expected, but nice anyway. 4/5

The episode had no major problems, and was pretty funny. I liked the 'Simpsons Guidebook' meta-reference, among other things. Homer's subplot was entertaining but lacked any real point; it should either have been developed on or cut buck. I was expecting a character driven Krusty plot, but instead we got a joke fest, which was pretty entertaining (even if I feel cheated by the lack of character). Overall, I think it was pretty good. To repeat myself, 4/5, or a B+.

EDIT: It's also worth noting that the couch gag was one of the funniest I've ever seen. I love it.

[HoboKillaThrilla]

My favorite of the season so far. 4/5

[Eddie]

Originally posted by used
What did you expect. We arent going to get quality character study type episodes anymore, really.

What about "Moe Baby Blues," "Little Girl in the Big Ten," "Special Edna," or "The Dad Who Knew to Little"?

Originally posted by Tomacco
Further proof that excessive speculation and prediction ruins the episodes for people. Again, nobody ever said the writers intended to make this a Krusty and Father episode. Everyone just read into it toooooo much.

I haven't made a single post here about this episode, and I didn't even know there was a new episode tonight until I checked a few hours ago to see if Cole had started the thread yet. The only thing I knew about the episode prior to viewing it was that SNPP synopsis says above.


I just would have been nice to have a nice balance between the two story lines (Rabbi Krustofsky disappears for half the episode). Kind of like how "Like Father, Like Clown" satisfyingly combined the Lisa/Bart angles with the Krusty/Father angles.

[FlamingMeaux]

4/5

Far more positives than negatives in this episode.

re: McBain's comment---is that an Ah-nold reference or just a "let's make the German-sounding guy saying something antisemitic"?

I also noticed that Patty and Selma looked off model.

[Hans Barber]

2\5. Had a good start, but it went down hill in the middle of the second act. The "Homer's Show" plot was stupid...seemed a bit like the "Helter Shelter", and Krusty being cancelled, it has been done. Some funny parts, some stupid parts. It was OK.

[FlamingMeaux]

Also, while I definitely enjoyed this episode (even Homer and SLH's night out) I found it incredibly stupid that Krusty would know to call Lisa a "shiksa", but not know how to pronounce kosher or what keeping kosher entails. Minor nitpick, I'm sure. He sure could read Hebrew like a pro, though.

[Icedragon]

Originally posted by robb
Good ep, 4/5

Is it just me or did the animation on Patty and Selma look...off?

I noticed that too and forgot to enter it into my review, it would not have mattered anyway

McBain's comment---is that an Ah-nold reference or just a "let's make the German-sounding guy saying something antisemitic"?

I think it was just a german stereotype, but I did not like that joke at all.

[MacGyver 666]

This was the best episode of the season so far. Homer's "subplot" had plenty of amusing moments, and Krusty was great as always. Mr. T was terrific in his role, but then again I'm a huge Mr. T fan. I don't have much more to say that hasn't already been said; A

[NoOneFamous]

Is anyone else kind of sick of Krusty episodes? How many Krusty-centered episodes have there been? Why not give more of the supporting characters a chance? I find Krusty annoying now.. and its weird how hes gone from a local cable star to a huge celebrity to someone who always runs to the Simpsons for help.

[ShadowBun]

This was somewhat disappointing, and failed to live up to its potential. Let me go over the bad first...

For starters, there was WAY too much time devoted to Homer's show...outside of Krusty hiring him at the beginning of the segment, it had NOTHING to do with ANYTHING. It seems after a nice balance of characters from Season 13 and 14, we're back to Homer-centric episodes again. Let's look at S15 so far...

Treehouse of Horror XIV: 1/3 Homer
My Mother the Carjacker: Homer/Mona episode
The President Wore Pearls: Lisa episode
The Regina Monologues: Homer-based episode
The Fat and the Furriest: Homer episode
Today, I am a Clown: Krusty and Homer episode

Outside of TPWP and parts of THOH, Homer's been all over the place this season, and again he gets a new job tonight..."Homer gets his own talk show!" The good news is that he's not the unbearable boob he was in past seasons, but it's still an overdose of the father Simpson.

And that's my biggest gripe, that this episode could've really done great things for Krusty's character (like recent great Lisa episodes for her character). But alas, we get a fairly thin plot with barely any Rabbi, and a ton of Homer...again. We do get a decent amount of Krusty, but there just isn't much to root for here...I never really felt sorry for him not having a Bar Mitzvah, or even losing his job.

Well, the shows primarily about laughs, right?

True, and fortunately the episode delivered pretty well here. The Guide/Lisa joke seems to be a hotbed of controversy already, but I really liked it. The Maggie scene was great as well (that actually happened to me when I was a baby), and Homer attempting to unlock the door had funny results. I also liked the air hockey line, the great Itchy and Scratchy, and some other moments of the episode. Solid humor with a few groans (the pig's head comes to mind).

The writers have regained their "funny" since Season 12, but we still need more solid plots like My Mother the Carjacker or The President Wore Pearls to get new classics. Character studies and emotions are GOOD, and disjointed storylines can really wear down a lot of great gags. In a way, it seemed like "just a bunch of stuff that happened."

I give Today, I am a Clown a 3.5/5, or a 3 on the poll. B-

[Crotis Jivefunk]

I found the Regina Monologues to be more of a family episode.

[brancely]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
Is anyone else kind of sick of Krusty episodes? How many Krusty-centered episodes have there been? Why not give more of the supporting characters a chance? I find Krusty annoying now.. and its weird how hes gone from a local cable star to a huge celebrity to someone who always runs to the Simpsons for help. Hmm. I don't mind a lot of Krusty. I think he's hilarious... but still, so much of Krusty lately? Of this season and last, there's only been tonight's episode and Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington, which received my vote for best of the season. So, Krusty = good.

[|RABiD|]

Solid episode tonight! I enjoyed the Simpsons Guidebook reference. And Homer's imaginations with Lincolm were awesome and classic material. But I'm basically saying what other people have already said. So to keep it short = 4/5.

Season 15 Rankings:
1. The President Wore Pearls
2. My Mother The Carjacker
3. Today, I Am A Clown
4. Treehouse Of Horror XIV
5. The Regina Monologues
6. The Fat And The Furriest

[Crotis Jivefunk]

It's the TV personnel we need to see more of. (Krusty, Itchy and Scratchy, etc.)

[DotheBartman]

Mixed but overall enjoyable. Here's my review.

Now, first off, one thing this episode had going for it, definetely, was humor. It wasn't really hysterical for the most part, but nearly all jokes in the episode were at least worth a chuckle or a smile. And there were definetely some laugh-out-loud hilarious moments, like the Homer/Lincoln dreams, Krusty and the exec hugging and crying, and Judaism-oriented Itchy and Scratchy. The only things that really failed for me were a couple Marge lines and the complete guide gag. In Marge's case she continues to be the most problematic character on the show (I dare say Jean has fixed everyone but her), so she had a couple cringe-worthy lines (the Jon Stewart one and later something about tiles or something). As for the complete guide gag, I'm just sick of meta-refs in general, plus this was a tad too surreal and emphasized even for such a joke as it basically involves a character more or less knowing that she's in a television show. But again, most things worked well enough for me.

Where things get a little more mixed is in the story. Homer's subplot was, IMO, actually pretty well-done. There was actually some pretty good satire in there regarding similar sorts of shows, and audience reaction to them. And again it was consistantly funny. Not hysterically so, but consistantly nonetheless. Unfortunately the Krusty plot, which was meant to be more "serious", didn't really work as well with some of the "emotional" elements feeling a tad forced. The emotion of it didn't really take center-stage, but that's probably the problem. Just look at how few lines Rabbi Krustofsky had; I think that speaks as a testament to how problematic some of the focus of Krusty's plot was. The Jewish jokes were all great, I just would have liked to see something a little meatier (and I get the feeling there was at least intent to make the episode semi-serious), and the Homer plot, good as it was, took too much time out of it. The end "conflict" seems similarly underdeveloped.

Still, I don't want to make this sound too negative. I really did enjoy it. It was fairly flawed especcially story-wise, but it was consistantly and very funny, and even the guest star was worked in decently. Not the best episode of this season by a long shot, but still an overall good addition.
Grade: B

EDIT: Forgot to mention that the animation direction was notably good in this one. We seem to be long past the Scully-era stage of bland direction now.

[ReadySteady]

Nice, solid episode. I also liked the Simpsons Guide reference.

"Disco Stu knows his place." :LOL:

[NoOneFamous]

Originally posted by Strong Sad
It's the TV personnel we need to see more of. (Krusty, Itchy and Scratchy, etc.) I really don't understand how you can say that... Itchy and Scratchy have made more appearances over the last 3 seaons than they ever did in seasons 9 through 12. Krusty gets tons and tons of airtime and has had so many episodes about him or at least having him as a main figure in the episode... they should give other minor characters a chance.

[pat]

Originally posted by Strong Sad
It's the TV personnel we need to see more of. (Krusty, Itchy and Scratchy, etc.)

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
they should give other minor characters a chance.

Brockman? I don't think he's had an episode based on him yet.

[DotheBartman]

Originally posted by ShadowBun
It seems after a nice balance of characters from Season 13 and 14, we're back to Homer-centric episodes again. Let's look at S15 so far...

Treehouse of Horror XIV: 1/3 Homer
My Mother the Carjacker: Homer/Mona episode
The President Wore Pearls: Lisa episode
The Regina Monologues: Homer-based episode
The Fat and the Furriest: Homer episode
Today, I am a Clown: Krusty and Homer episode

Outside of TPWP and parts of THOH, Homer's been all over the place this season, and again he gets a new job tonight..."Homer gets his own talk show!" The good news is that he's not the unbearable boob he was in past seasons, but it's still an overdose of the father Simpson.



Yeah, agreed with that. Hopefully after next week's show (which is another Homer show of course) we'll see more of the rest of the family.

[Rowdy]

I predicted in this season's Fresh and Rotten thread that the episode would get similar reviews to My Mother the Carjacker and its at the exact same percentage of 4's and 5's right now.....both brought back a character's parent......both are a bit more emotional then the rest of the episodes we've had this season, etc.....

Still, we haven't had an episode top the 66% mark for 4's and 5's (Good reviews basically), which is quite surprising, but I think it's mostly due to these younger fans (I know a lot of them) who don't care for the "My Mother the Carjacker" type episode and simply want a long string of jokes.....I was shocked when a lot of people at my high school were calling it the worst episode ever....

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by DotheBartman
Yeah, agreed with that. Hopefully after next week's show (which is another Homer show of course) we'll see more of the rest of the family.

To me it doesn't seem the same as when Homer was prime focus in seasons 10-12, because the family still seems to have a lot of screentime despite the narrative being about Homer. For example, in this week's episode, there was the great opening bathroom Maggie scene, and Bart and Lisa took on jobs when Homer got the TV gig. Also, Bart and Lisa helped Krusty at first. The family never gets lost for long periods of time, like they did in episodes like "Mayored to the Mob", "When You Dish Upon a Star", "Monty Can't Buy Me Love", "D'oh-in' in the Wind", "Homer Simpson in Kidney Trouble", "Viva Ned Flanders", "Missionary Impossible", and "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes".

[SpongeBob No Pants]

wow, i'l never understand why so many people here at NHC, bash new episodes

this episode was so good, the book reference was funny and the pig head was not a groan moment

and as for the homer having his show plot, i think FOX advertised this episode wrongly, they made the commercials about krusty and his father, where as they should have been about homer gets his own show, i know the jewish plot was the main one, but it seems like people were disapointed because FOX as well as the TVguide summaries made it out that thats all it was about

it should have been like this

"When Krusty learns that he never had a Bar mitzfah, he decides to become a more faithful jew, causing him to let homer guest host his show on saturdays, but when homers new show become's so popular, the network fires Krusty and replaces him with homer."


i still stand by my 5/5 for this one - best of the season

1. Today, I Am A Clown
2. My Mother The Carjacker
3. The President Wore Pearls
4. Treehouse Of Horror XIV
5. The Fat And The Furriest
6. The Regina Monologues

[doyle]

I must say that I enjoyed this one thoroughly. After a couple below par episodes, this season got back on track with this one. The development in the first half was pretty good, with nothing too outrageous or wacky. The flashback proved funny enough, and I really had no feelings one way or the other on it. Krusty's questioning of the wall of fame was a logical decision well-written into the plot. I liked his reaction also. His sadness, while a bit selfish, was not plastic and was done well, which I was skeptical about, seeing that this one was written by Cohen. It provided insight to his character, and worked. The second act was pretty good, including what I thought was the best Itchy and Scratchy episode in a long time. Krusty starts to get boring, and the decision to cancel him, while a but abrupt and rushed, was not a problem for me. The first look at Homer on television was a good one as well, and his show proved interesting throughout, which particularly impressed me. The third act was not bad, either. I'm ashamed to say that I laughed at Moe's boob line. It wasn't clever at all, but the delivery was what made it funny to me. The degeneration of Homer's show was for a reason, and the fact that it was Lisa's advice was particularly interesting. Marge's line "You may have lost your show, but you won out in the classiest way possible" was a line that I felt was one of the most interesting of the entire episode. It showed her support while summarizing the situation surrounding Homer's show. Krusty's televised bar mitzvah was interesting, though the appearance of Mr. T got less funny and interesting as it went on, and he had too many lines, IMO. The closing of the episode with a real ceremony was rushed, but the episode was good overall. Mason's appearance wasn't great, but he did a good job with what was presented to him.

What made this episode work was the characterization. Krusty was in character the whole way through, particularly with his reaction to not being a real Jew, as mentioned before. Homer was never annoying and his antics were funny more often than not. The family's role overall was good. I solid episode. B+

Treehouse of Horror XIV- B-
My Mother the Carjacker- B+
The President Wore Pearls- A-
The Regina Monolouges- C+
The Fat and the Furriest- D+
Today, I Am A Clown- B+

[HomertheGreat]

Solid episode, but with many flaws. Plot pacing was the largest problem. They didn't divide the Homer sub-plot and Krusty's plot equally. Homer got more airtime, which disappointed me some. And the pacing at the end wasn't very good, it was very rushed. Felt like a Dana Gould episode. But the positive thing about this episode is its humor. They went back to the rapid joke fire which has been brought back to the show in the Jean era. And tonight it worked. Only a few gags didn't work for me, mostly in the first act involving the Santa's Little Helper scene. But everything else was worth at least a chuckle. Homer's dream with Abe Lincoln, Itchy and Scratchy, Mr. T getting into character and reading the Tora. (didn't like his last appearence though). And various one-liners, mostly coming from Homer's show. OVERALL: B

THOH- B-
Carjacker- A-
Pearls- B+
Monologues- C+/C
Furriest- C
Clown- B

[Kefka]

I actually thought this episode was pretty good believe it or not.

4/5

[ShadowBun]

Originally posted by SpongeBob No Pants
wow, i'l never understand why so many people here at NHC, bash new episodes

Whoa, man. I'm definately not a new episode basher; I think this season has been an improvement over S13 and 14 so far (which were in turn, improvements over 10-12), and I rate all episodes on the same scale (a B- now is the same as it was in season 2, like with "War of the Simpsons"). Heck, I LOVED The President Wore Pearls...it's an episode that's probably in my top 30.

Anyway, it's true that the episodes recently have featured more secondary spots in addition to Homer...it's not as bad as it was in seasons 10-12, but they could still be more diverse with the characters the story centers around (like in season 13). This episode really could've been great if they kept the focus mainly on Krusty instead of jumping back and forth between two unrelated things. Plus, I thought the resolution for Homer was extremely predictable...once Lisa made the suggestion, I saw the cancellation coming a mile away.

Still a funny episode though, so I stick with my B-.

[Tibor]

I forgot to mention that Mr. T's appearance was pretty good. Fit into the context of the episode, and the "I should have invested more wisely" was funny in and out of the episode's context.

Originally posted by Tomacco
Further proof that excessive speculation and prediction ruins the episodes for people. Again, nobody ever said the writers intended to make this a Krusty and Father episode. Everyone just read into it toooooo much.

I don't think speculation had anything to do with it. The main plot would have been just as bland had I or had I not been wanting a more serious plot with him and his father, and like I said, there was no excuse. It had a ton of potential that they even touched on slightly but, God knows why, they didn't develop in the least.

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
Is anyone else kind of sick of Krusty episodes? How many Krusty-centered episodes have there been?

It isn't as if it's a freakin' Krusty episode jambaroo.

[doyle]

I may have missed something near the end of this one, but does Krusty now have his show back. Are we supposed to assume he does or did they actually say something?

[DotheBartman]

Originally posted by Tomacco
To me it doesn't seem the same as when Homer was prime focus in seasons 10-12, because the family still seems to have a lot of screentime despite the narrative being about Homer. For example, in this week's episode, there was the great opening bathroom Maggie scene, and Bart and Lisa took on jobs when Homer got the TV gig. Also, Bart and Lisa helped Krusty at first. The family never gets lost for long periods of time, like they did in episodes like "Mayored to the Mob", "When You Dish Upon a Star", "Monty Can't Buy Me Love", "D'oh-in' in the Wind", "Homer Simpson in Kidney Trouble", "Viva Ned Flanders", "Missionary Impossible", and "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes".

Yeah, agreed with that too. Its definetely not a Scully situation where Homer is hogging every plot and every moment, or where Homer's character himself is unbearable to watch. There's just been a bit much of him consecutively lately. And I have little doubt in my mind that the rest of the season should feature plenty of the rest of OFF anyway.

[Tibor]

Originally posted by Dondelinger
I may have missed something near the end of this one, but does Krusty now have his show back. Are we supposed to assume he does or did they actually say something?

I guess, even though the episode did pretty much sail off the edge of the earth and leave it hanging.

[Clarence]

4.5/5 which equals out to five. I laughed at alot of the jokes, and this was a big surprise. Homer wasn't annoying for once. The plot actually made sence. I thought they went too far with the Fox thing, but what are they going to do they suck. The coathanger thing was gold! It was just amazing. Good job. Don't fuck up ever again!

[Clarence]

Originally posted by Dondelinger
I may have missed something near the end of this one, but does Krusty now have his show back. Are we supposed to assume he does or did they actually say something?

Well since Homer got cancelled, it's logical to assume Krusty got his old job back.

[bmac]

Not to bad, not to bad at all. The humor seemed a bit hit or miss for me, but there were still a lot of great gags. Really liked the opening with Maggie locked in the bathroom. I think they handled the plot and subplot nicely. Nicely integrated Krusty learning about his religion with Homer's show. I think making fun of FOX is beginning to get old, but i still chuckled at it. I thought the Mr. T appearance worked well also. 8/10

[brancely]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
I really don't understand how you can say that... Itchy and Scratchy have made more appearances over the last 3 seaons than they ever did in seasons 9 through 12. Krusty gets tons and tons of airtime and has had so many episodes about him or at least having him as a main figure in the episode... they should give other minor characters a chance. I still don't know what you're talking about.

Krusty episodes in Season 15: Today, I am a Clown
Krusty episodes in Season 14: Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington
Krusty episodes in Season 13: none, I think

That's two episodes in the last three seasons that were Krusty-based.

[Channel Surfer]

This episode was in serious aid of focus. It's clear that at times, it seemed it wanted to be an exploration of Krusty's life, how his stardom and livelihood clashed with his heritage, with nods to "Like Father Like Clown". If so, it probably should've opened the episode with Krusty unable to find something good on TV and later finding his life meaningless by abandoning his heritage, as opposed to the unnecessarily derivative (and annoying self-mocked) opening with OFF and the puppies before finally introducing his storyline. There was no need to reduce the interaction between Krusty and his father to a few short sequences, and even then it felt as though the writers almost abandoned Krusty becoming assimilated with the Jewish community until the very with his venture onto Fox. The sequence at the end in particular with Krusty realizing the error of his ways with his disappointed father looking down at him felt tacked on, which is strange because I thought one of the plots was about Krusty's Bar Mitzvah and returning to the Jewish community. This development could've been achieved better had they either scrapped the subplot entirely or eliminated the storyline behind it, reducing it to just various sequences and skits of Homer's retooling of the show (which were generally funny). The plotline of Homer's show becoming high brow followed by the typically commentary of audiences not liking/getting a upper-achieving show just felt done before, and seemed like a poor substitute of a storyline for what I was really interested in, Krusty's Bar Mitzvah.

So I guess the episode was sort of like "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can", at least in that it had a boring, occasionally even hokey storyline carried almost entirely by its humor. So I guess I'm in agreement with the consensus here. Sort of uneven, but overall enjoyable.

At least here they didn't try to tie the storylines together in what felt like an artificial or obligitory way like in some season 14 episodes ("Large Marge", "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can", "Dude, Where's my Ranch").

Grade: B-

Overall Grades:

"The President Wore Pearls" B+
"My Mother the Carjacker" B+
"Today, I am a Clown" B-
"Treehouse of Horror XIV" B-
"The Regina Monologues" C
"The Fat and the Furriest" C-

[Cole]

1. Today, I Am A Clown A-
2. My Mother The Carjacker B+
3. The President Wore Pearls B
4. Treehouse Of Horror XIV C+
5. The Fat And The Furriest C-
6. The Regina Monologues D

Not a bad start to a season. I enjoyed "The Fat and The Furriest" much more upon a second viewing. "The Regina Monlogues" score dropped even lower upon a second viewing.

[Radioactive Man]

This ties with THOH for my favorite this year. My favorite joke was when he cut Lenny from the show. Jackie Mason was a waste, he said about 2 words. I hate it when they say lenny lenardson and carl carlson. They should just go back to lenny and carl. Whoever came up with those last names should be shot because it annoys me. Enjoyable grade B+. Critc grade C because it stated out focusing on krusty and it ended up just cutting back to him for brief moments.

This seasons rankings (note:rankings based primarily on how much I enjoyed them i.e. mostly ignoring plot issues ect.):
Today, I am a Clown B+
THOH B+
My Mother the carjacker b
The Regina Monolouges B-
The fat and the furriest c+
The President wore pearls(I missed the first ten minutes so maybe that hurt my review C-

[penny]

Sorry, i started a new topic in the Voting section...didnt know there was one here...i'll cut and paste what i wrote:

It had some pretty funny jokes I thought the opening was great, with Maggie in the bathroom "BABY BLOOD!" haha, and the flashback of Homer taking SLH to get neutered. Good episode tonite! "It's not my job to make kids laugh!" Ha ha ha.
~*Rachel
p.s. YES i forgot about the 80085 on the calculator LOL LOL, god i love moe! And the Lincoln daydream, hahahaha, great episode!!

[NoOneFamous]

Originally posted by lance
I still don't know what you're talking about.

Krusty episodes in Season 15: Today, I am a Clown
Krusty episodes in Season 14: Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington
Krusty episodes in Season 13: none, I think

That's two episodes in the last three seasons that were Krusty-based. Well... my point is that there have been more Krusty-based episodes than most minor characters already and they should focus on other characters more.

[penny]

"This episode was in serious aid of focus. It's clear that at times, it seemed it wanted to be an exploration of Krusty's life, how his stardom and livelihood clashed with his heritage, with nods to "Like Father Like Clown". If so, it probably should've opened the episode with Krusty unable to find something good on TV and later finding his life meaningless by abandoning his heritage, as opposed to the unnecessarily derivative (and annoying self-mocked) opening with OFF and the puppies before finally introducing his storyline. There was no need to reduce the interaction between Krusty and his father to a few short sequences, and even then it felt as though the writers almost abandoned Krusty becoming assimilated with the Jewish community until the very with his venture onto Fox. The sequence at the end in particular with Krusty realizing the error of his ways with his disappointed father looking down at him felt tacked on, which is strange because I thought one of the plots was about Krusty's Bar Mitzvah and returning to the Jewish community. This development could've been achieved better had they either scrapped the subplot entirely or eliminated the storyline behind it, reducing it to just various sequences and skits of Homer's retooling of the show (which were generally funny). The plotline of Homer's show becoming high brow followed by the typically commentary of audiences not liking/getting a upper-achieving show just felt done before, and seemed like a poor substitute of a storyline for what I was really interested in, Krusty's Bar Mitzvah."

So I guess the episode was sort of like "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can", at least in that it had a boring, occasionally even hokey storyline carried almost entirely by its humor. So I guess I'm in agreement with the consensus here. Sort of uneven, but overall enjoyable.

At least here they didn't try to tie the storylines together in what felt like an artificial or obligitory way like in some season 14 episodes ("Large Marge", "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can", "Dude, Where's my Ranch").


Channel Surfer....wow...i read that a couple times, and i just can't believe some one would take the time to do that...pick a show apart like that just for the hell of it, and go into such great detail! It'd kinda sad that we can't just enjoy the show without complaining like that (to that extent i mean!) The entire time i was reading it, all i could hear was The CMG's voice!!! Seriously. WOW......
~*Rache

[penny]

P.s. Sorry.....how do you "quote" some one...i thought just copying and pasting would work, but obviously it didn't....bah!
~*Rachel
P. p. s. No more triple posts, i swear!!!

[Stackhouse]

Wonderfully surprising. Joel H. Cohen finally has a good episode to his name. I loved it, in short. Only a couple of things fell flat, holding it from tieing with TPWP for the best of the season.

A-

So, this season:

TPWP: A
MMTC: A-
TIAAC: A-
THOH15: B+
TRM: B-
TFATF: C

[Necromancer]

Originally posted by MsPennyCandy
P.s. Sorry.....how do you "quote" some one...i thought just copying and pasting would work, but obviously it didn't....bah!
~*Rachel
P. p. s. No more triple posts, i swear!!! Click the quote button on the lower right hand corner of the post you wish to quote.

[Magnum]

Originally posted by NoOneFamous
I really don't understand how you can say that... Itchy and Scratchy have made more appearances over the last 3 seaons than they ever did in seasons 9 through 12.What the?

1. You're comparing this episode to seasons 9-12 in order to complain about it.

and 2. I only seem to recall one I&S cartoon in the scully era

[Tibor]

"My Mother the Carjacker" A-
"The President Wore Pearls" B
"Today, I am a Clown" B-/B
"Treehouse of Horror XIV" B-
"The Regina Monologues" C
"The Fat and the Furriest" C-

Edit: :uhh: Stealing Channel Surfer's format and forgot to remove quote tags.

[kuumuus]

A very funny episode with two solid plot lines. Animation and characterization were good. B+ or 4/5

The semi-classic era has begun, homies. Yeah, I said it.

[homer5000]

This suprised me: Homer was the best joke-wise, even if this was a Krusty episode. Have to go now, gotta go get ice cream...4/5...

[Glumplich]

This marks the second time that an episode premiered on my birthday, the first being Season 9's "Realty Bites" when I was 17.

This ep was much better than last week's. It was great to see the two plots woven together nicely. I also enjoyed the Itchy and Scratchy episode. But to me, two meta-refs in one episode (Lisa reading the Complete Guide in Act I and FOX mentioned in Act III) is a bit too much. Grade:B+.

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by MsPennyCandy
Channel Surfer....wow...i read that a couple times, and i just can't believe some one would take the time to do that...pick a show apart like that just for the hell of it, and go into such great detail! It'd kinda sad that we can't just enjoy the show without complaining like that (to that extent i mean!) The entire time i was reading it, all i could hear was The CMG's voice!!! Seriously. WOW......
~*Rache

What's even more disappointing is that that was supposed to be a positive review. :(

But I did like the episode. I didn't intend for it to come off negative. Just recognizing problems I had with the episode and highlighted them in the review. I think your assertion that I did it in great detail is a compliment. Better than just "Arrgh, it sucks. 0/5".

I do enjoy the show. I watch because I enjoy it. I enjoyed this episode. Just recognize you're in the domain of the nerds, and that there's a reason the CBG stereotype came about. ;)

P.s. Sorry.....how do you "quote" some one...i thought just copying and pasting would work, but obviously it didn't....bah!

To further what Necromancer has said, if you're already in a post, just type

{QUOTE}{i}Originally posted by <Insert Name Here>{/i}
{B}<Insert Quote Here>{/B}{/QUOTE}

But replace all "{}" with "[]"

[Jake]

Originally posted by MsPennyCandy



Channel Surfer....wow...i read that a couple times, and i just can't believe some one would take the time to do that...pick a show apart like that just for the hell of it, and go into such great detail! It'd kinda sad that we can't just enjoy the show without complaining like that (to that extent i mean!) The entire time i was reading it, all i could hear was The CMG's voice!!! Seriously. WOW......
~*Rache

"MsPennyCandy"? What the hell? Any REAL passive fan wouldn't name themself after a CARTOON character!

[penny]

Jeeeze....don't get your panties in a bundle...who says a real "passive" fan wouldn't name themselves after a cartoon character? All i was saying is that i couldn't believe somebody would analyze the episode like that, and that it sounded like something the CBG would write to a network or something. Didn't mean to start an argument, i just wish people would relax a little.
~*Rache

[Tibor]

We are relaxed. You are the one who seems to be upset that someone would give detailed reasons as to why they did/didn't like the show. If you were a show's producer, would you rather read Channel Surfer's review, or "OMG 10/5 HOMOR ROX!!!"?

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by MsPennyCandy
Jeeeze....don't get your panties in a bundle...who says a real "passive" fan wouldn't name themselves after a cartoon character? All i was saying is that i couldn't believe somebody would analyze the episode like that, and that it sounded like something the CBG would write to a network or something. Didn't mean to start an argument, i just wish people would relax a little.
~*Rache

Just to add to what I said above, I don't think I'm being anal necessarily. I just like to get in deep on the topic of an Internet forum.

I love the show. If I didn't enjoy what they were making, I wouldn't bother coming here. I think the show is good enough to hold it to a high enough standard to analyze the episodes in such a detailed way. It really didn't take me all that long to write that, so I do think it was relatively casual.

To quote member George Cauldron, "We examine The Simpsons as if it were a work of Dickens or Shakespeare, it's that fucking good."

[Tibor]

If you want real CBG nerdiscussions, go look up one of the topic analysis/Chris P. review threads.

EDIT: Homer said "ORAL contract"!! Uh oh, another lame sex joke!

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by Tibor
Homer said "ORAL contract"!! Uh oh, another lame sex joke!

Disagree. It was anything but "lame".

[Tibor]

I was joking/being sarcastic... You don't really consider that a sex joke do you?

[used]

opening: nice, a chalkboard gag, and a good one, too. and an awesome couch gag too. good start to episode.

act 1

the good
Homer asking for cuts
Lisa commenting on trying ideas once
Homer yelling "you just lost a box"
Homer paying the hooker for air hockey
Crazy cat lady
Groundskeeper willie
Snake
Krusty going through channels
Jewish community
"Lamb Chop" on walk of fame
rieeer wolfcastles line

the bad
Homer saying the medicine baby blood
Lisa and the compete guide book
"night his wang would never forget"
"Save your loving for the couch pillows"
"Circumcision, and then some"

few lame jokes, was too many good ones to list.. 5/5

act 2

the good
Krusty being "Unfunny Clow" in crossword
Jackie Mason is great, and so are his lines
Krusty not knowing how to pronounce 'coshier'
Lisa having an imaginary friend
Itchy and Scratchy. best one in a while too
Mr teeny massaging Krusty
Krusty sniffing "expensive flowers"
Homer saying "next card"
"new oldies"
construction workers
Rabbi krustofky teaching krusty about judism
Krusty saying "hey hey"


the bad
Prostate joke
Homers arms in his mouth and ears
Men pulling the chair off homer
Homer replacing Lenny with Barney with Disco Stu
Network exec bit

not quite as good, but close 4.5/5

act 3

the good
Homer saving abe lincoln
Homer taking lisas advise idea this week
Krusty at FOX headquarters
"BOOBS" on calculater
Old folks home
Beach Boy Experience
Mr. T is awesome
Homer listening to Lisa being the wrong thing to do
Homers car in the garbage
"Make your own sunday place"
Ratings being "Raymond" Rerun good
Krusty wanting real barmitzpha
Selma line

the bad
Mel on stage
Barts broken neck bone joke.. worst of the episode

awesome last act 5/5

overall 5/5, best episode since season 9.

[Tibor]

The Bart's neck bone joke pretty much broke all of Matt's "rules" for the strangling didn't it. Thought it was terrible too.

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by Tibor
I was joking/being sarcastic... You don't really consider that a sex joke do you?

But, it had the word oral in it. ORAL! Certainly the writers wouldn't have used the word oral without implying sex.

Actually no, I don't think it's a sex joke.

[Tibor]

What's worse is that they ripped it off from those filthy mouthed baseball broadcasters. ORAL consent! ahahahahahaha.... oh mercy.

[Channel Surfer]

Sorry, but they ripped it off from "Family Guy".

[Rowdy]

3.5........not enough humor to warrant a 4, but it wasn't boring/unfunny enough to warrant only a passing grade of a 3. I think Krusty really is one of the most useless side characters from Season 10 onwards......he hasn't had a great episode or really any memorable moments.....

Looks like this episode is the season champ so far and may be the first to stay past the 70% 4's and 5's mark....

[brancely]

Originally posted by Rowdy
I think Krusty really is one of the most useless side characters from Season 10 onwards......he hasn't had a great episode or really any memorable moments..... Quite the opposite is the case. Krusty is one of the most well-developed characters nowadays. Used to be I'd say someone like Apu, but they just went too far with him. Also, no great episodes? Did you not see "Mr. Sprtiz Goes to Washington?" I think it's the best thing that came out of season 14 in that it was one of the more brilliantly satirical episodes, reminding me of such greats as "Two Cars" and "Sideshow Bob Roberts." Plus, when in a minor part, Krusty almost always contributes something funny to the episode, and usually earns a laugh from me.

[Icedragon]

Homer said "ORAL contract"!! Uh oh, another lame sex joke!

Originally posted by Channel Surfer
Sorry, but they ripped it off from "Family Guy".

Hehehehehehe oral...

Anyway, I was glad that they finally did a chalkboard gag, and that the couch gag was a parody of a fameous TV show. Good times.

[Mike Scully]

For all my adoring fans (cough), I didn't see much of the episode, only bits and pieces of it from a TV at Fudruckers. So no review until I download from Kazaa. From what I noticed, there seemed to be a LOT of scenes involving Homer, and it was disappointing to find out that Rabbi Krustovsky barely had a role.

[Icedragon]

Yeah, this ep was promoted wrong. It was promoted as a Krusty ep, but it was more of a Homer ep.

Also, I am looking forward to how the Simpsons parody the grinch.

[Rowdy]

lance, "Mr. Spritz" comes so close to being the worst episode ever that I was nearly rooting for it to do just that by the end.....I'm definitely in a total minority, but I found the episode humorless in all places with the exception of the FOX News parody, the political stuff was just typical and the family went to Washington with much greater results in Season Three.....And, of course, Krusty, who I just haven't found funny really at all lately as I've mentioned earlier......I definitely think the writers need to do another Ralph episode......or Barney....or, well, really anyone but Krusty....he's worn out his welcome for me unless the writers can find a way to make it work again.

[brancely]

Well, while I disagree with you, everyone's entitled to his own opinion. Some people take the episodes at face value, as in, how many good/bad jokes were there, rather than appreciating the satire or characterizations, etc. Nothing I can argue with.
Originally posted by Rowdy
I definitely think the writers need to do another Ralph episode......or Barney....or, well, really anyone but Krusty.......or Apu ;)

[Icedragon]

Make Barney Drunk again!!

[Rowdy]

Yeah, I agree, Apu can still be really funny......just get a non Manjula/Octuplet story and you're set.....

Now as long as they don't do a Gil episode.......or Cletus.....<shudder>

[brancely]

actually, I meant NO more Apu episodes, as all of them since the Scully era have sucked (The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons, I'm With Cupid, Eight Misbehavin', The Sweetest Apu). What happened to the Apu of Much Apu About Nothing? There was an Apu you could be proud of. And please, no one respond to this, as I fear how far off topic this thread could go.

[Moleman...Hans]

4/5

Really better than I expected. Loved how they handled both plots. What I didn't like was Mr. T but that's ok. 4/5

[Tibor]

Originally posted by Icedragon
Make Barney Drunk again!!

It's in the works...

[Rob G]

Originally posted by Tibor
The Bart's neck bone joke pretty much broke all of Matt's "rules" for the strangling didn't it. Thought it was terrible too.

Not happy about that one myself. It really soured the episode for me.

[kelly]

This may seem a little farfetched, but this was my first thought when viewing the Homer subplot..

OK, so in this ep, Homer hosts a basically pointless talk show-- earns respect of his peers-- gets bored with it-- takes advice from Lisa-- tries to do something worthwhile by adding more intelligent conversation to his show-- loses respect, his show, and his parking space..

And in Homer the Great, Homer becomes the leader of the Stonecutters--earns respect of his peers-- gets bored with it-- takes advice from Lisa-- tries to do something worthwhile by helping the community-- loses respect, and the Stonecutters disband and form the NHC.

It just seemed like a predictable plot to me. And a very familiar one at that.

[necrulez]

Dude, Homer was really funny -that's nice for a change.
The bathroom scene, Homer's talkshow, the Lincoln bit, and the Foxheadquarters....all hilarious :D

[mohammed jafar]

well, to get the bad stuff out of the way first - the plot handling was dreadful. the blending of the two plots really didn't work at all, the scenes were too short. there was a period in the show where it just seemed to be short Krusty scene/short Homer scene/short Krusty scene/short Homer scene/etc, with only about three or four lines in each scene. with that length, you get very jarring switches between the two stories, and it clearly didn't bother everyone but it certainly bothered me. especially considering the stories weren't that linear and there was not much of a strong focused plotline in either. the urgency and nervousness with which the focus seemed to go back and forth between Homer & Krusty makes the whole thing seem like a bit of a mess - it needed longer scenes, more focus and fewer switches. As virtually everyone has said, there was way too much focus on Homer's fairly dull plotline. Homer gets famous and becomes a superstar overnight. Again. Yawn. Not to mention - as someone has already said - the whole talk-about-something-meaningful ending was just recycled from Homer The Great (and it wasn't even very clever there either). The attempt to tug the heartstrings at the end with the sad music was a bit unnecessary, i mean really - we want emotion, yeah, but emotion from a meaningful story, not just tacked on sad music. Jackie Mason was wasted, really, and it's sad because as Tibor (I think) mentioned, there was shitloads of potential there for a story involving Krusty's character trying to adopt a more Jewish life. His inability to be serious, his being spoilt by his celebrity lifestyle, etc. hilarity ensues! Krusty is one of the most automatically funny characters on the show (to me anyway), Rabbi Krustofsky was very funny in LFLC too, there was a clear route for a story involving a conflict between them - I don't see what the problem was in developing his story any further than the thin version of it we got. It would have been original and fresh too, not just another Homer gets a job then messes it up story.

buuuuuuttt.....it was a very funny episode with lots of clever humor. loved the I&S and just about everything Krusty did and said in particular. three or four gags didn't work, but that's the case in 95% of post-season 3 episodes (obviously some have a lot more than just three or four), so it's not really something I should complain about here. Everyone was in character as usual these days, and I didn't really have a problem with Marge as many people did. The Jon Stewart line was fine - it wasn't as if it was a forced, stand-up-style zinger akin to "hey - they have Latin Grammies!". she just likes Jon Stewart, what's the problem. B overall, then. Funny, but i'd like an engaging, interesting plot too please.

[Warren]

4/5

JUST loses out to "Pearls" for best episode of the season.

[Alpha]

Originally posted by SpongeBob No Pants
5/5


This episode was the best of the season so far

I liked:

Lisa reading from "Simpsons - a complete guide to our favorite family" (best joke of the show)
Finally a board gag!
Best couch gag this season
Homer and santa's little helper's night out
maggie in the bathroom
itchy and scratchy
homer's round table show
lenny being fired, then barney
krusty and the network exec crying and hugging
"i eat legos"
Homer saving lincoln
Moe and his calculator words - BOOBS!
Sign warning: "first 2 rows may get converted"

and there was so much more, i loved every second

i'm gonna watch it again and take it all in a gain to see other stuff i layghed at

I second everything you said.

What really had me rolling, though, were the Lincoln dreams, Lisa reading the graphic guide, "I Eat Legos", and the couch gag.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that the couch gag may just be my new favorite.

[The General]

Repeated joke count: 3
This was a pretty good episode, I liked the appearance of the Simpsons episode guide, which I own. I felt that they were kinda trying to go the way of Family Guy's "When you wish apon a wienstein" episode, but they withheld on most of the jewish jokes.
It wasnt great but it wasnt bad. 3.5/5

[Tomacco]

Originally posted by Tibor
The Bart's neck bone joke pretty much broke all of Matt's "rules" for the strangling didn't it. Thought it was terrible too.

We dealt with this "Matt's rules" stuff last week with the animal talk, so I have to address this to everyone:

Do YOU, as a viewer, personally care when "Matt's rules" are bent or broken? Or do you rigidly stand by whatever Matt says, despite the fact that past the very earliest points in the show he had little to do with the writing of the show itself?

Personally, I really don't care if Matt's so-called rules get broken. If animals acted totally like animals all the time, we would miss out on hilarious jokes featuring SLH, plus other random gags, like penguins flying away from the zoo.

[mohammed jafar]

those fearing a return to the Homer Simpson Show shouldn't be worried, i don't think. after all, in the upcoming episodes we get focus on -

- Homer
- Marge
- Homer/Bart
- Marge
- Milhouse
- Homer/Marge? (Artie Ziff)
- Bart
- Skinner/Krabappel
- Marge

[picollo]

Please, I lost the episode and my friend tell me what in the episode, Homer says something about Argentina, What is he say?

[HoyvinGlavin64]

Wow! This was a great episode! Second best of the season, right after TPwP! Not as good as Like Father, Like Clown, but still A material!

The good:
--Lisa reading "The Complete Guide to OFF"
--The return of Krusty's old neighborhood.
--The few lines Jackie Mason had.
--Homer's subplot was funny and didn't seem too much like a rip-off of the main plot of Homie the Clown.
--The FOX lines.
--Mr. T's preformance reading Torah.

The bad:
--Not enough Jackie Mason!
--The animation of the supporting cast seemed the most off since Season 3 (then again, they changed the company that does the animation to Toonzone Animation Studios (not the message board of the same name) as of last week).

A! And to think that my sister thought it was worse than The Fat and the Furriest!

[penny]

I would just like to apologize to Channel Surfer and anyone else i offended. I re-read what i wrote, and all the replies, and MAN i sounded so shallow. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to seem like a BITCH, because i understand that we are all simpsons fans, and we all have a right to voice our opinions. Us fans have to stick together! OK, now i bet you all think i'm bipolar, haha. I was having a bad day yesterday, and didn't mean to take it out on you, Channel Surfer.
~*Rache

[Dennis]

Originally posted by PsycheEnFuego
This one was... extremely sillyzany for my tastes. Seeing Lisa refer to a COMPLETE GUIDE pretty much ruined it for me. And we really didn't know what was the main point of the episode, because they seemed to shift the focus way too much on Homer at some points.

Otherwise, Jackie Mason was wasted, and Mr. T-- meh. Just didn't care for this one, but good try at least.

I Completely Agree. 1/5.
What the hell is up with the endings of this season and last? Basically every episode has ended abruptly and this one was no exception. I haven't laughed out loud to The Simpsons in a while and this episode only got a few smiles from me. It seems like the writers are trying way too hard. BTW, is it just me or is Yeardley Smith not even trying to make Lisa sound like a child anymore?
1/5, D. Better than last week's but then again, "The Fat and the Furriest" made "Simpson Safari" look like gold. This season is not looking very good.
I don't know if Al Jean was inspired by Mike Scully or anything but his episodes are not much better than Scully's. If season 10,11,12,13,14 or 15 was the first season, this show would not have lasted long.

[penny]

I miss the old Lisa...........the Lisa who egged Bart on to jump in the fountain at the company picnic and then argued with him about who gets in the car first. The Lisa who wouldn't give Bart a cupcake, the Lisa who teases Bart for having a "girlfriend" in "Bart the Lover," the Lisa who has a crush on Nelson. She just annoys the hell out of me (and almost everyone else i'm sure) now. I thought the funniest kick in the ass to Lisa was (i dont remember the episode name) when they had the pee-wee football team and Lisa showed up in uniform and everyone gasps, and shes all like "That's right! A girl wants to play football!" and they already have Janie and another girl on the team, and then she says something about not wanting to participate because of the pigskin balls, and then Janie (i think) says that they aren't using pigskins, and that every ball they use goes towards animal rights or something like that...i havent seen it in a long time, but i thought it was great!!!! They sure showed Lisa up! heh heh
~*Rache

[mohammed jafar]

Originally posted by Dennis
It seems like the writers are trying way too hard. BTW, is it just me or is Yeardley Smith not even trying to make Lisa sound like a child anymore?

you go from "they're trying too hard" to "they're not trying anymore" in the space of a sentence. swish. that sounds almost like a joke they'd use on the show for the CBG - "the problem appears to be that the idiots who make the show are trying too hard, and furthermore, that they are not trying at all"

Originally posted by Dennis
I don't know if Al Jean was inspired by Mike Scully or anything

Bwahah...shut up.

Originally posted by Dennis
If season 10,11,12,13,14 or 15 was the first season, this show would not have lasted long.

actually if S14/S15 had aired now as some other show, you'd all be saying 'OMG LOLZERS THIS NEW SHOW "EABF/FABF" IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE SIMPSONS NOW, CANCEL THE SIMPSONS AND LET EABF/FABF LIVE!". you know i'm right.

also, in other news, you're 13 years old and you gave Lard Of The Dance a 4/5.

Originally posted by MsPennyCandy
She just annoys the hell out of me (and almost everyone else i'm sure) now.

no, not everyone else.

Originally posted by MsPennyCandy
I thought the funniest kick in the ass to Lisa was (i dont remember the episode name) when they had the pee-wee football team and Lisa showed up in uniform and everyone gasps, and shes all like "That's right! A girl wants to play football!" and they already have Janie and another girl on the team, and then she says something about not wanting to participate because of the pigskin balls, and then Janie (i think) says that they aren't using pigskins, and that every ball they use goes towards animal rights or something like that...i havent seen it in a long time, but i thought it was great!!!! They sure showed Lisa up! heh heh

so, you say you want the "old Lisa" back, the one who didn't "annoy the hell out of you". but you cite her funniest scene as one in which she is presented as an ANNOYING, idiotic, antagonistic, self-righteous bitch, in which you enjoy seeing her being humiliated? that's odd, to say the least.

[penny]

Originally posted by Mohammed Jafar
you go from "they're trying too hard" to "they're not trying anymore" in the space of a sentence. swish. that sounds almost like a joke they'd use on the show for the CBG - "the problem appears to be that the idiots who make the show are trying too hard, and furthermore, that they are not trying at all"



Bwahah...shut up.



actually if S14/S15 had aired now as some other show, you'd all be saying 'OMG LOLZERS THIS NEW SHOW "EABF/FABF" IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE SIMPSONS NOW, CANCEL THE SIMPSONS AND LET EABF/FABF LIVE!". you know i'm right.



Actually he said that Yeardley Smith wasn't trying.....

[Maddog53]

Looking at the ratings this has some of the best reviews of the season. That beings said, here's my review. (http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeReviewPage/showid-146/epid-273359/blockid-97961/) I'm not happy with it, I just wrote it and I'm tired, plus I just got back from writing my first final exam. Plus, it is a bit skewed because I was trying to watch and play a game of Risk at the same time. Like i say in there, I would like to watch it again to have a more fair opinion. It was a toss up between giving it a full 4, or a 3.5. I chose a 4. I liked the puppies gag. And, I didn't see a problem with the small amount of time that Rabbi Krustofsky got, because it wasn't the point of the episode to show his relationship with his son (that was done in season three). If that is you criticism for not liking it, then I see it as unfounded because there was no reason given for it being an episode like that. I found his appearance to be fine, however it was Mr. T who I found grating by the end (even though I do like him normally).

Maddog.

[mohammed jafar]

Originally posted by MsPennyCandy
Actually he said that Yeardley Smith wasn't trying.....

i know. yeardley smith contributes to the making of the show too. i was pointing out his idiotic approach to criticism, in which he casts vague unfounded aspersions on the people who make the show rather than actually critique the show itself

[SpongeBob No Pants]

Originally posted by Kelly
This may seem a little farfetched, but this was my first thought when viewing the Homer subplot..

OK, so in this ep, Homer hosts a basically pointless talk show-- earns respect of his peers-- gets bored with it-- takes advice from Lisa-- tries to do something worthwhile by adding more intelligent conversation to his show-- loses respect, his show, and his parking space..

And in Homer the Great, Homer becomes the leader of the Stonecutters--earns respect of his peers-- gets bored with it-- takes advice from Lisa-- tries to do something worthwhile by helping the community-- loses respect, and the Stonecutters disband and form the NHC.


Yeah homer should have got rid of Lisa years ago :LOL:

but seriously i don't see your comparrison, the 2 eps were very far apart in terms of plot, and hasn't homer tried alot of things only to get bored with them

[Tomacco]

I'd really like to hear defense and explanation by the two people who voted 1/5. I don't see how this episode could ever warrant a grade like that in any way whatsoever.

[penny]

Next season: Lisa gets hit on the head and gets amnesia. Becomes the old Lisa again. Voila! Problem solved.

~*Rache

[SpongeBob No Pants]

Originally posted by Tomacco
I'd really like to hear defense and explanation by the two people who voted 1/5. I don't see how this episode could ever warrant a grade like that in any way whatsoever.

Tell me about it, i think there are just some members here who are so against any new episodes that they just automatically vote for a "1", even if the episode was great

personally, while i understand that everyone has different tastes, i don't understand why anyone would vote bellow a "3" for this one, or at least vote below 3 and not explain why they did so

[Tman]

I thought it was the best episode this season it gets a 5/5.

[Dennis]

Originally posted by Mohammed Jafar

also, in other news, you're 13 years old and you gave Lard Of The Dance a 4/5.


So did most everyone that reviewed it here (http://www.nohomers.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25620&perpage=35&pagenumber=52)

[mohammed jafar]

Originally posted by Dennis
So did most everyone that reviewed it here (http://www.nohomers.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25620&perpage=35&pagenumber=52)

anyone who actually went into any detail rather than just "I liked this episode, great stuff. I liked the part when Homer did that thing. Great! 4.5/5! :) " thought it was mediocre or terrible (in other words, anyone whose opinion counts didn't like it). Also it seems that in that thread the more thoroughly you analyse that episode, the less you liked it. How about that, eh?

[Tibor]

Originally posted by MsPennyCandy
Next season: Lisa gets hit on the head and gets amnesia. Becomes the old Lisa again. Voila! Problem solved.

You think you could describe a little what it was about 'old Lisa' that you liked and how 'new Lisa' is annoying or whatever. Because her character is more solid and stable than it has been for many many moons.


Originally posted by Maddog53
If that is you criticism for not liking it, then I see it as unfounded because there was no reason given for it being an episode like that.

Well, I don't count that in itself against the episode- if they had made the plot tight and engaging without Krusty's father it'd have been fine. But it makes me very irate that they threw away the potential when it was right there... I mean, come on! Right there. And I disagree that all of the development was done in Like Father Like Clown. Their was plenty of rich development in that episode that could have been built off of (like MMTCJ). In the ways already listed (notably in CS' review).

[penny]

Originally posted by Tibor
You think you could describe a little what it was about 'old Lisa' that you liked and how 'new Lisa' is annoying or whatever. Because her character is more solid and stable than it has been for many many moons.



Well, if they had made the plot interesting and engaging without Krusty's father, it would have been great. I don't really count that against it in itself, but it does make me extremely irrate that they ignored the potential. Because it was... right... there! I mean, come on, jeez.



I already did that a few posts back........

[Tibor]

Well, as Jafar said, it's very strange that you liked that bit in Bart Star, but like I said, what exactly do you find wrong with Lisa now, considering you liked her childish aspect? Her 'mini-adult' characterization is long gone, and if you consider her intelligence/precociousness to be a problem, then Lisa hasn't been the same for you since No Disgrace Like Home.

[mohammed jafar]

Maddog : my criticism of the show not having enough Rabbi Krustofsky could be rephrased as "the conflict between Krusty & his father was underdeveloped and thin, possibly due to too much focus on the uninteresting and predictable Homer plot." That OK now?

[penny]

Lisa has always been a "know-it-all," but lately it's been less funny, that's all. I still love the show and the characters, but Lisa's character needs.....something. i don't know. anyway.....back on topic.......

~*Rache

[SpongeBob No Pants]

Originally posted by MsPennyCandy
Lisa has always been a "know-it-all," but lately it's been less funny, that's all. I still love the show and the characters, but Lisa's character needs.....something. i don't know. anyway.....back on topic.......

~*Rache

i don't think lisa is a "know it all", she's just the only one who seems to think about things before she does them

her joke "i don't know why we only try idea once" line to me didn't come off as a smart ass remark, but rather it highlighted the way, that the other family members don't think about things very well

[Mr. Plow]

While watching, I made sure not to compare it to "Like Father, Like Clown". That being said, I still didn't really enjoy this episode. Jackie Mason's return was a real waste, and didn't really make much of an impact on the story. Mr. T was also a bit of a let down, since he didn't seem to be very funny, but nonetheless entertaining since he was on the show to begin with. I think the additional story of Homer's show could of been saved for something else. I thought it was a nice gag when Lisa whipped out the Complete Guide book, but just it just cracked a smile on my face . I did laugh a few times when Homer had his dream of Lincoln and JFK. That's the Homer I like to watch. He's an average dumb guy, but doesn't go to a point where you get uncomfortable watching him. Of course, he cried again during the episode which really needs to stop. I thought Krusty's plot was very interesting but was a bit of a let down when watching it. It needed more time to develop. The first 2 rows - being converted was a nice chuckle. I also liked the Santa's Little Helper jokes at the beginning, but it's a story that's already been done with a new twist that was easily concocted. I partially enjoyed season's 13 and 14, while I despised 10-12. To me, Season 15 isn't really an improvement from the last, but instead still in the same direction but going down unnoticeably. If I watch this episode next year when it's on a rerun on my local FOX network, I will probably even laugh less. This is because I enjoyed many episodes in Season 14 when they first aired. Now, when I watch the syndicated versions, I don't laugh at all. 2/5

EABF21 "Treehouse of Horror XIV" - 3/5
EABF18 "My Mother the Carjacker" - 3/5
EABF20 "The President Wore Pearls" - N/A
EABF22 "The Regina Monologues" - 2/5
FABF01 "Today, I am A Clown" 2/5

[penny]

Originally posted by SpongeBob No Pants
i don't think lisa is a "know it all", she's just the only one who seems to think about things before she does them

her joke "i don't know why we only try idea once" line to me didn't come off as a smart ass remark, but rather it highlighted the way, that the other family members don't think about things very well



Yes, you've got a point there. Some of her lines (like that one) are witty, but most of the time they're pretty annoying.

~*Rache

[Kuje]

In defense of Rache (If I may call you that :)), she said she liked that part in Bart Star because it humiliated Lisa, not because she thought she was characterized right.

[Cole]

Classic Simpson era Lisa is one of the greatest characters of all time. I just finished watching "Lisa the Greek" and I had forgotten how well the show could once display emotion. There's a very moving seen where Homer chooses to go bowling with Barney instead of hiking with Lisa. At that moment, Lisa realizes that Homer was never interested in growing closer to her. He was merely using her to gamble. You genuinely feel sorry for Lisa. This is a perfect example of how well the show use to handle emotional scenes.

After watching "Today, I Am A Clown" again, I realized that this episode was completely devoid of any emotion. What's more disappointing is that there were so many ripe opportunities display emotion where they chose to throw in a one-liner for cheap laughs instead.

I liked "Today, I Am a Clown" significantly less after my second viewing. I think the reason I enjoyed it so much last night is because I had been cramming for a Calculus exam all day, so I just loved every moment of my break. This caused me to ignore many of the shows glaring flaws. The pacing of the episode drove me crazy. Not even shows like “Family Guy” jump from one scene to the next this quickly. Did we really have to have a scene with Marge where she simply says, “now we can buy the things that go underneath the rugs"? No. It’s not funny in the least. That was a superfluous scene that could have been scrapped to allow for time for some sort of bonding between Krusty and his father to occur. There also seems to be no true conflict in The Simpsons anymore... wait, I'm rambling and getting off topic. I’ve been up studying all night, so my thoughts would probably make little to no sense.

"Today, I am a Clown" was a good episode, none the less. I originally, unjustly gave it a 5/5. I now realize it was closer to a 4/5. It is still the best episode of Season 15 to date.

[thestonedkoala]

At first I thought this was going to be a good episode. I always like it when Homer make up words to songs like the uhhh Chuwumbawumba song or whatever in Little Girl...

I thought this was an average show. It was a bit schizophrenic and to me it felt a bit short too, it was lacking really good substance and was a little bit to fast paced.

Mr. T was okay but I'm kind of getting sick of his parodies so very, very much.

Favorite part is Father Krusty, I like his voice and I like his character a lot.

The other good part was the I&S cartoon and thought that was clever.

Also I'm kind of getting sick of the sex jokes. We haven't had one like this for a while, I don't think or if there has been it was tastefully done...Wait nevermind, last week...But still it annoys the heck out of me and for some odd reason this one did too, much more than last weeks because it went on for longer.

I give it a 3/5, it wasn't bad but there wasn't anything real good in this story.

[jerry]

This episode had lots of new places in Springfield. I managed to write down a few:

- Nuts Landing Dog Neutering
- L.L. Beani
- Fantastic Shlomo's
- Jewish Walk of Fame
- Circle K Mart
- Coffee Shop

There were several others, but they went by so quickly I was unable to read them. If anyone taped the episode could you please freeze frame and let me know what they are? It's for my Map of Springfield (http://www.csupomona.edu/~jelerma/springfield) Thanks!

[mohammed jafar]

Originally posted by thestonedkoala

Also I'm kind of getting sick of the sex jokes. We haven't had one like this for a while, I don't think or if there has been it was tastefully done...Wait nevermind, last week...But still it annoys the heck out of me and for some odd reason this one did too, much more than last weeks because it went on for longer.

what were the troublesome sex jokes in this episode?

[Cole]

i think he was referring to santa's little helper's night out on the town. not sure how this can be called a "sex joke," but it seems like that is what thestonedkoala is referring to ..

[mohammed jafar]

well then that's ridiculous. the dogs rustling about in a bush was far less obscene than the dogs having sex offscreen on the dog track in Two Dozen & One Greyhounds (AND there it was even pointed out in big flashing letters with Homer's "casual sex" remark remember). And the XXX theatre signs and whatnot is uncomplainableabout. Several "classic era" episodes have had similar stuff, most memorably Last Exit To Springfield. So if that is indeed what he's referring to, it's ridiculous.

[Maddog53]

Originally posted by Tibor
Well, I don't count that in itself against the episode- if they had made the plot tight and engaging without Krusty's father it'd have been fine. But it makes me very irate that they threw away the potential when it was right there... I mean, come on! Right there. And I disagree that all of the development was done in Like Father Like Clown. Their was plenty of rich development in that episode that could have been built off of (like MMTCJ).

I still see that as a minor nitpick. This was not a "Krusty's father comes back and bonds with his son episode." This was a "Krusty has to find himself a place within his Jewish faith episode." He turned to his father for some guidance, and that was all that was needed. Potential was there? Sure was, but it wasn't needed here. Also, I apologize for making it sound like all the development was done in "Like Father, Like Clown" even though it came off that way.

Originally posted by Mohammed Jafar
Maddog : my criticism of the show not having enough Rabbi Krustofsky could be rephrased as "the conflict between Krusty & his father was underdeveloped and thin, possibly due to too much focus on the uninteresting and predictable Homer plot." That OK now?

Not really, because like I just stated, that was not what this episode was trying to do. The Rabbi's purpose was to remind his son that a Bar Mitzvah is a special time in a Jewish person's life and that he should treat it with respect. He filled that purpose, too. At least in my opinion he did. Would I have liked to have seen more of the Rabbi? Sure, but I'm not going to mark down the episode because of something the episode was not trying to be.

Maddog.

[Channel Surfer]

Originally posted by MsPennyCandy
I would just like to apologize to Channel Surfer and anyone else i offended. I re-read what i wrote, and all the replies, and MAN i sounded so shallow. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to seem like a BITCH, because i understand that we are all simpsons fans, and we all have a right to voice our opinions. Us fans have to stick together! OK, now i bet you all think i'm bipolar, haha. I was having a bad day yesterday, and didn't mean to take it out on you, Channel Surfer.
~*Rache

Cool, but I really wasn't offended. But I will point out that you are now complaining about Lisa's characterization in a fairly stereotypical, almost CBG-esche way ("it used to be good, but now it sucks" sort of argument). You are now one of us. One of us.

Originally posted by Maddog53
And, I didn't see a problem with the small amount of time that Rabbi Krustofsky got, because it wasn't the point of the episode to show his relationship with his son (that was done in season three). If that is you criticism for not liking it, then I see it as unfounded because there was no reason given for it being an episode like that. I found his appearance to be fine, however it was Mr. T who I found grating by the end (even though I do like him normally).

Well, we could see a sort of frustration with Rabbi Krustofsky when assessing why Krusty hadn't had a Bar Mitzvah. Clearly at the end, we could see his father upset over Krusty doing his Bar Mitzvah on FOX. I do think the episode at least sort of attempted to do a further examination of Krusty and his father's relationship. It was just, as Jafar has said, "underdeveloped and thin", and hence unfortunately less interesting than I had hoped. And even it wasn't supposed to be a furthering of Rabbi Krustofsky's and his son's relationship, it's not like the Homer subplot (or main storyline, or whatever) was all that great anyway, IMO.

That said, our grades really aren't that far off.

[mohammed jafar]

Originally posted by Maddog53

Not really, because like I just stated, that was not what this episode was trying to do. The Rabbi's purpose was to remind his son that a Bar Mitzvah is a special time in a Jewish person's life and that he should treat it with respect. He filled that purpose, too. At least in my opinion he did. Would I have liked to have seen more of the Rabbi? Sure, but I'm not going to mark down the episode because of something the episode was not trying to be.


OK then. How about "the Homer plot was uninteresting, recycled, formulaic and predictable. As a sidenote, I suspect this episode would have been better had they focused on Krusty & his father instead, and the conflict between Krusty's attitude and his father's pressure on him to adapt a more Jewish lifestyle."

[Roger Myers III]

AAaaah...

After two episodes that were so disappointing, and that no amount of retooling seems to have really helped, I was so gratified to soak in this one.

Truly, I will never get tired of Krusty episodes. This is another one to add to the pantheon.

I enjoyed the lovely Johnny Cash tribute (a hero and a revered guest-star, who also did a great performance on OFF) at the very beginning.

It began with 2 very universal household emergencies that we hadn't seen before: The baby gets locked in the bathroom, and your dog has bred a litter of mixed-breed mutts with a neighbor's dog without your knowledge. The first ended with a very funny meta-comment from Lisa, the latter with a gut-busting doggie prostitution mantage that was less offensive than Homer's "Time to whizz in a foaming bowl of china" from moments before. And then another, more intensely self-concious meta-ref w/ the Guidebook. Which I smiled at. The writers consult it as much as we do.

Liked Bob Poochione & Rosa Bark - liked it even better when Hibbert said he'd 'drop these analogies'. Liked Willie & Snake's lines. Krusty's channel-flipping monologue. And, because I will have otherwise wasted a Jewish education, here's a breakdown of the Lower-East Side of Springfield:
"K-Mart"(The "K" in a circle is the seal on a food product certifying that its kosher to eat.) "L.L. Beanie; a bargain basement for fine yarmulkes" (a 'beanie' is a nickname for a yarmulke, which is a skullcap,) "Bakery, Streaks (might be - can't make out the Hebrew), I Can't Believe its not Trayfe!" (Trayfe is Hebrew for "non-kosher"), "Fantastic Shlomo's: Payos trims two for one" (Parody of Fantastic Sam's haircut franchise, payos are "earlocks" - like Mr. T pulls out on stage), the locks of hair Orthodox Jews grow in following a commandment "Thou shalt not cut the corners of your beard", so not only should one not 'trim' them, but if one were to do so, of course there should be a "2 for 1" price for the service,) There's cart dealers (a throwback to olden days) for DSL service and 'resilient wax' (which, for some reason, Orthodox Jewsih homes tend to use heavily to protect floors,) which is sold by the LFLC "buying a Chrysler" gentleman. Sandy Koufax, Joan Rivers, Jon Lovitz, Alan King, Larry David, and Billy Crystal are there in addition to those named.

So, his real full name is Herschel Pincus Yeruchem Krustofski! This is great, as "Shmoikel" would make much more sense as a Yiddishe nickname (it literally means "penis", so there's another one for you blue-noses to get upset about!) In Jewish tradition, btw, Krusty wouldn't technically be a Jewish "adult" not non-Jewish, so he's struggling with the responsibility of tradition and adulthood, not identity or religious concepts (repentance, belief, faith, etc.) His conflicts with his father were very nicely resolved already in LFLC, so this is already much more of a lighthearted, non-serious conflict (bar-mitzvahs aren't nearly as religiously important as the extravagant party "occaisions" they've evolved into,) at its core. This is Krusty simply attempting to make his father proud of him by cutting the shtick of making goofy faces for a moment and taking a Jewish tradition seriously. In attempting to simply do the ceremony, his Krustiness gets the better of him, (as it usually does,) and it becomes an extravagant, show-bizzy, ostentatious bit of flashy nonsense in and of itself. Just as his father feared he would do as a kid, he has "made a mockery of the ceremony.." When Krusty catches his father's disapproving look through the clutter, and the silence (and 'little music cue") signal his change of heart, its a very, very sweet moment. The quietness and understatement of the later, serious traditional ceremony makes the subtle point itself. [Of course, its undermined completely by Mr. T. remonding us of the way that the kids at the center of the tradition sometimes see them, the bottom line: Let's have those envelopes of cash, check & bonds! That's why I enjoyed the last line - one more 180-degree flip of the perspective, as long as there's one more second left....

Rainier's comment was apt, considering the scrutiny Arnold just received during his campaign about his father's Nazi party ties and some past interviews in which he praised the drive & focus of Hitler.

BTW, its entirely possible that Krusty would know "Shikse", as its a term fo stereotyping and 'insult', and he's a comic, and not "kosher", as some Jews pronounce it "kasher", and he's never kept its rules like Flanders has.

Loved Nelson's very Jewish "What's not to like?" [Strange that some Krusty tapings seem to be entirely filled with schoolkids, but whatever,] I don't think I'll ever be able to see a Bris (circumcision ceremony, usually spelled w/ one 's',) the same way after its I&S incarnation. (btw, the stepping-on-a-glass tradition caps off the wedding ceremony, not the bris, in case you're at one and are disappointed.) Krusty's putting on a skullcap was a blatant echo of Hank Kingsley doing the same thing when rediscovering his own Jewish identity in a classic "Larry Sanders Show" episode.

Jaw dropped at the coke joke - but the funniest part is in the 'cover' explanation. Krusty's exec producer is modelled on Johnny Carson's forever-producer, Fred DeCordova. Which leads me into a lil' tangent:

I love how you can 'turn the clock back' around 9 months and see the inspirations behind many plots and concepts. Around that time was when David Letterman had a severe case of the shingles and was forced to sit out for 3 weeks. Now normally, when that happens, they run repeats. But Letterman surprised everyone by approving of the show having a guest-host instead, for the first time ever in Dave's 30+ year career. On the other hand, what he decided to do was to have a different guest-host each night, so as to be interesting and also not allow anyone to get too comfortable in that host seat.

And the backstory to that is the Leno vs. Letterman antagonism, which was rooted in the decision by DeCordoba to agree to the official selection of Carson's "permanent guest-host" which was also a way of saying "heir-apparent when he retires", which was named as Jay Leno, despite Letterman having guest-hosted for Carson manymore times and Carson's noted enthusiasm for Dave & his show. So Dave, hving been screwed by the system, would never have a guest-host, still won't name a perma-one, and obviously wouldn't want one who would upstage him. [This same situation was also parodied brilliantly in the entire last season of "Sanders", with him feeling threatened by his network to "name" Jon Stewart.]

Sorry, I know that's a hell of a lot, but that all informs the episodes Network Execs' attitudes, Krusty's desire to have Homer do the guest-host job (and not ever in "Krusty" make-up!), and the Stewart and DeCordoba references.

The ratings reactions (yes, done before, but many "montages" for such stock situations has been repeated - just with different funny scenes,) are a comic portrayal of the "clean up the networks" crowd's belief that, if you put intellegent discussion of common or worldly important issues, then people will tend to watch that - instead of entertaining garbage. is truly a Jewish tradition in America - because nothing else in the nation is open on that day, and television sucks, so we have to get out of the house.

Homer tyrannizing the panelists was realistic. Dr. Brown's is a soda line that originated and is still popular in Jewish Delis. All the prayers they all recite are authentic.

I appreciate that they've finally tagged the 3 Network executives that we've seen repeatedly over the years: Older "Stu" (not very original - one's already on Homer's panel, for crying out loud,) Naegle-esque "Dianne," and pony-tailed brown-noser "Jeremy." [Can anyone straighten out their appearances, in the many various "Network" scenes?] I especially like the - possibly unintended - humor in demonstrating the "Complete Guide" as the continuity reference of record, and then, in the same show, giving this "Dianne" her own identity, which, according to the "Beyond Forever" book, this character was "really" Lindsey Naegle, into whom she fully evolved. [Both have appeared as the female "Network exec", in different shows. Dianne, it seems, has a voice somewhat distinct from Naegle now.]

I actually didn't think the assassination fantasies were very funny. I liked that Homer followed Lisa's advice with disaterous consequences, instead of Bart's (learned in "Bart Gets famous", of course,) and didn't find it too similar to "Homer the Great" at all.

I can't Schmear you! = Schmeer is a yiddish term for cream cheese.
Krusty is rehearsing the "Ch" (throat-clearing) sound, prominent in Yiddish & Hebrew, but, like the 'j' in Spanish, really hard for mnay to pronounce.

"Mezzuzah, Gemora, reading from the Torah
Pastrami, Knishes, on two sets of dishes
A church with no steeple, for God's chosen people"

A mezzuzah is a small scroll of scripture and its decorative container that Jews fasten to the outside doorways of their homes; 'Gemorah' are the commentaries on biblical laws that make up the Talmud, a collection & statement of Jewish law; the Torah is the 5 books of Moses (our name for the "Old Testament"); Pastrami & Knishes (potato- or meat-filling in a flaky crust) are both Jewish deli staples; like the Rabbi just said in his Kosher lesson, milk (dairy) & meat products are kept strictly separate, so observant homes have 2 sets of dishes designated for each type; steeples, and obviously the statues and crosses that accopmpany them, are forbidded in "shuls" (houses of wordhip).

A man who's bound to not eat mussels...= Shellfish are also not kosher, as an entire class of foods

Let's scroll! = the Torah read from is hand-scribed on 2 scrolls of parchment.

Like MJ, I noticed the urgent cross-cutting between Homer's last show and the Bar-Mitzvah, but assumed it was a concious decision - to emphasize & enhance the frenetic nature of the head-to-head time-slot competition the two productions had been s